


Late Nights at Leblanc

by TheElf



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Cafe Leblanc (Persona 5), Confessions, Dancing, First Kiss, How Do I Tag, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Not Beta Read, Slow Dancing, does this count as a songfic?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-17 16:50:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29595810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheElf/pseuds/TheElf
Summary: Ren hears a song come on the radio and somehow manages to loop Akechi into dancing with him to it and the aftermath of such a decision. Based on the song "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" by Paul Anka.There are two endings to it, one in chapter 1 and the other in chapter 2. I couldn't decide which I liked better. The first is the 'happier' and the second is the 'angstier' although its barely angsty, both end happily.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 1
Kudos: 47





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was written (as most of my fics are) early in the morning. There's no particular reason for me writing this, other than I heard the song and inspiration struck. Please excuse any errors you might find, I hope I caught them all. I hope you enjoy both versions of this fic!

Nothing was better than the quiet atmosphere of Leblanc in the evening, the sun quietly setting in the background. The only noise were the voices on the radio, the quiet hum of the machines and the occasional clink of a glass on a table. It had been Akechi’s refuge for many stressful days, and today was one of those. Sojiro had long left because of the slow day, leaving Ren in charge. He stood behind the counter cleaning the dishes from the day as Akechi continued to slog through the pile of papers and cases he’d been assigned.

They’d been like this for several hours, no one having said a word or interacting outside of a nod when Ren refilled his coffee. Closing had long since past, Ren having flipped the sign to ‘Closed’, but he never had asked Akechi to leave. At least not yet, letting the other enjoy the quiet feeling of his presence.

Setting down a large packet of papers he had been reading, Akechi rested his chin on his hand, exhaling slowly and taking a sip of his now semi-lukewarm coffee. His mind wandered for a moment from the case at hand, listening to the song playing on the radio. It was something quiet and jazzy, but was at its end, fading out leaving the two in silence once more. The next song started and Akechi tried to refocus, but Ren spoke up, for the first time in hours.

“Oh I know this song, my parents used to dance to it all the time… back home.” This was the first time he’d heard Ren speak of his parents, or even mention them at all. He turned to him, watching him move out from behind the bar and coming over to the side of the table.

“Is that so Amamiya?” He stares as Ren holds his hand out to him, motioning for him to stand up. 

“Come on, get up and dance with me. It’ll be a good break.” Akechi opens his mouth to say something, not sure how to tell him no. It would be dangerous… he hadn’t been able to control his feelings towards the other man. And being in such close proximity… and touching him at the same time, there was no way this would end well for him or the feelings he’d been trying so hard to push down.

“I’m afraid I can’t dance all that well, I must decline--”

“Bullshit, I’ll even teach you, come on.” And with that Ren grabbed his hand, pulling him from the table and to his feet, sneaking a hand around his waist. Akechi could feel how such little touch made him tingle, a traitorous spark of happiness forming inside him. “Just _ put your hand on my shoulder. _ ” He sings alongside the song, readjusting their hands, so their fingers intertwine. 

Akechi could feel how his face flushed through this all, unable to meet the other's eyes. He was expecting him to go farther, do something more, but he stopped there. All he did was sway in place, turning slightly as he did, forcing Akechi into dancing too. They stayed like that, just swaying awkwardly together. He eventually relaxed into it, finally looking at Ren in the eyes, who just grinned, looking much too happy for a situation like this, a sparkle in his eyes.

And then he started singing along. In the low, sultry, voice he only used in the metaverse. The voice Joker used when giving out orders, the one that made Akechi shiver every time he heard it, making his mind go to places he’d rather it not.

“ _ Just a kiss goodnight, mayybe… You and I will fall in love _ .” It felt like a confession, in the late night cafe with just them slowly swaying side to side. He knew it was just the lyrics… but why did thinking about that hurt him so much? He tried to pull away, before this could get any worse, but Ren’s hand on his waist just tightened, pulling him in even closer as he laughed, still speaking in the ‘Joker’ voice.

“Enjoy yourself Akechi. Let the music guide you.  _ If there's a way, I'll find it someday... _ ” He continued to sing, their bodies now almost touching. Akechi didn’t know what to do. He could feel his face was bright red, there was no way Ren hadn’t noticed it. So then why did he continue? Akechi’s mind continued to race, after all, there was no way that Ren felt the same. He had half of Tokyo at his beck and call, professional models to famous heirs, there were a million people better than him. But as if it couldn't get any  ~~ better ~~ worse for him, Ren leaned in, half whispering in his ear.

“ _ Whisper in my ear,  _ **_baby_ ** _ , words I want to hear, tell me,  _ **_tell me that you love me too_ ** _. _ ” Akechi could hear Ren emphasize the words specifically. His breath caught in his throat, feeling Ren pull him in closer, so now their bodies were completely flush. Akechi just hoped he couldn’t feel how fast his heart was beating right now. 

He just couldn’t believe this was happening. There was no way- no way at all, this was all just a lie. As soon as the song would end he would recoil away from his touch, laugh at him, mock him for falling for something so easily. That’s right, this was all… just a ruse. A ruse to humiliate and belittle him.

The song slowly, finally, came to an end, Ren’s last ‘shoulder’ fading out quietly until it was just them in the silence again, bodies pressed together and hands intertwined. They stood there like that, neither moving even as the next song started to come on. Finally, Akechi gathered the courage to speak up.

“Amamiya... was that a confession just now?” Blunt as always, he’s not one to pull his punches. Ren untwines their fingers to rub the back of his neck nervously laughing.

“Did you just realize?” Ren just laughs, before noticing the practically murderous look on Akechi’s face and trying to rectify the situation. “I’m not laughing at you, I swear. I’ve had a crush on you since I first saw you at the tv station. I’m going to be honest. I thought we already were dating, but thanks for finally noticing I guess.” 

“I’m sorry- excuse me?” Akechi’s brain is desperately trying to catch up to what was happening. His crush just admitted he felt the same, and that he already thought that they were together, he had just been too ignorant to pick up on any of it.

“Oh you didn’t know… you  _ really _ didn’t know did you.” It finally seems to hit Ren just how ignorant Akechi is to any of this right now. “Well... now I feel bad, I thought you knew already too… but… you’ve told me how you’ve never had any friends like this before.” 

Akechi’s just too stunned to react to anything, and it certainly doesn’t help that Ren's body is still pressed against his, an arm around his waist. This was what he wanted isn’t it? To have his crush like him back? So then why does the humiliation feel like it’s going to overtake him. Ren notices his inwards spiral and puts a hand on the side of his face, bringing him out of it.

“Well, can I take this chance to officially ask you to be my boyfriend Goro Akechi?” His brain can't form any coherent thoughts right now so he just nods. The detective prince may be a wordsmith and known for his eloquence, but right now he’s just Akechi. Ren grins, “Glad to finally make it official.”

He leans in, connecting their lips in a gentle kiss. Akechi’s brain finally catches up, and he moves his hand from his shoulder and into the mop of messy black hair that he always imagined combing his fingers though, and pulling Ren even closer to him. And that’s how they stayed. Leblanc back to its almost quiet state, the radio serenading their kiss quietly as the sun dipped below the horizon once again.


	2. Chapter 2

Nothing was better than the quiet atmosphere of Leblanc in the evening, the sun quietly setting in the background. The only noise were the voices on the radio, the quiet hum of the machines and the occasional clink of a glass on a table. It had been Akechi’s refuge for many stressful days, and today was one of those. Sojiro had long left because of the slow day, leaving Ren in charge. He stood behind the counter cleaning the dishes from the day as Akechi continued to slog through the pile of papers and cases he’d been assigned.

They’d been like this for several hours, no one having said a word or interacting outside of a nod when Ren refilled his coffee. Closing had long since past, Ren having flipped the sign to ‘Closed’, but he never had asked Akechi to leave. At least not yet, letting the other enjoy the quiet feeling of his presence.

Setting down a large packet of papers he had been reading, Akechi rested his chin on his hand, exhaling slowly and taking a sip of his now semi-lukewarm coffee. His mind wandered for a moment from the case at hand, listening to the song playing on the radio. It was something quiet and jazzy, but was at its end, fading out leaving the two in silence once more. The next song started and Akechi tried to refocus, but Ren spoke up, for the first time in hours.

“Oh I know this song, my parents used to dance to it all the time… back home.” This was the first time he’d heard Ren speak of his parents, or even mention them at all. He turned to him, watching him move out from behind the bar and coming over to the side of the table.

“Is that so Amamiya?” He stares as Ren holds his hand out to him, motioning for him to stand up. 

“Come on, get up and dance with me. It’ll be a good break.” Akechi opens his mouth to say something, not sure how to tell him no. It would be dangerous… he hadn’t been able to control his feelings towards the other man. And being in such close proximity… and touching him at the same time, there was no way this would end well for him or the feelings he’d been trying so hard to push down.

“I’m afraid I can’t dance all that well, I must decline--”

“Bullshit, I’ll even teach you, come on.” And with that Ren grabbed his hand, pulling him from the table and to his feet, sneaking a hand around his waist. Akechi could feel how such little touch made him tingle, a traitorous spark of happiness forming inside him. “Just _ put your hand on my shoulder. _ ” He sings alongside the song, readjusting their hands, so their fingers intertwine. 

Akechi could feel how his face flushed through this all, unable to meet the other's eyes. He was expecting him to go farther, do something more, but he stopped there. All he did was sway in place, turning slightly as he did, forcing Akechi into dancing too. They stayed like that, just swaying awkwardly together. He eventually relaxed into it, finally looking at Ren in the eyes, who just grinned, looking much too happy for a situation like this, a sparkle in his eyes.

And then he started singing along. In the low, sultry, voice he only used in the metaverse. The voice Joker used when giving out orders, the one that made Akechi shiver every time he heard it, making his mind go to places he’d rather it not.

“ _ Just a kiss goodnight, mayybe… You and I will fall in love _ .” It felt like a confession, in the late night cafe with just them slowly swaying side to side. He knew it was just the lyrics… but why did thinking about that hurt him so much? He tried to pull away, before this could get any worse, but Ren’s hand on his waist just tightened, pulling him in even closer as he laughed, still speaking in the ‘Joker’ voice.

“Enjoy yourself Akechi. Let the music guide you.  _ If there's a way, I'll find it someday... _ ” He continued to sing, their bodies now almost touching. Akechi didn’t know what to do. He could feel his face was bright red, there was no way Ren hadn’t noticed it. So then why did he continue? Akechi’s mind continued to race, after all, there was no way that Ren felt the same. He had half of Tokyo at his beck and call, professional models to famous heirs, there were a million people better than him. But as if it couldn't get any  ~~ better ~~ worse for him, Ren leaned in, half whispering in his ear.

“ _ Whisper in my ear,  _ **_baby_ ** _ , words I want to hear, tell me,  _ **_tell me that you love me too_ ** _. _ ” Akechi could hear Ren emphasize the words specifically. His breath caught in his throat, feeling Ren pull him in closer, so now their bodies were completely flush. Akechi just hoped he couldn’t feel how fast his heart was beating right now. 

He just couldn’t believe this was happening. There was no way- no way at all, this was all just a lie. As soon as the song would end he would recoil away from his touch, laugh at him, mock him for falling for something so easily. That’s right, this was all… just a ruse. A ruse to humiliate and belittle him.

The song slowly, finally, came to an end, Ren’s last ‘shoulder’ fading out quietly until it was just them in the silence again, bodies pressed together and hands intertwined. They stood there like that, neither moving even as the next song started to come on. Finally, Akechi gathered the courage to speak up.

“Amamiya I-” He tries to take a step back but is stopped by the hand around his waist.

“Akechi, I- wait a minute, please.” Ren’s voice was quiet, hesitant almost, Akechi felt both his hands squeeze him. “Don’t go…” He let that hang in the air for a moment pathetically before continuing. “I have something I want to say.” He could feel the nervousness in that statement, such a vast difference from the confident Joker he had just seen and felt, whispering in his ear and pulling him closer.

“Just, get it over with.” His words came out sharper than he intended, causing Ren to wince, as if he already had shot down whatever it was that he was planning to say. Ren sucks in a breath before just going off.

“Ireallylikeyouok?LikeIthinkImightloveyouleveloflike. I’ve felt this way for… months, ever since we met for the first time in the TV studio and I’ve just been too scared to say so.” He pauses, taking another breath, before letting go and turning around, not willing to face Akechi. “That’s all, I guess. I don’t blame you if you just want to leave after this.”

“Amamiya...” Akechi doesn’t know how to respond. This was the best case scenario: he knows he should have thought of something, but his brain has failed him. Isn’t this what he wanted? For his feelings to be reciprocated? “Wait- please I’m not- Just. Give me a second.”

Ren turns back around, his face a mixture of emotions as he glances over Akechi, who’s internal debate is still keeping him from saying anything he wants to. Finally something within him wins over and he finally makes a move. He opens his mouth as if to say something, then closing it opting instead to grab the lapels of Ren’s uniform and pulling him into a kiss.

It was terrible, messy and one sided but he didn’t care. It got the message across better than any of the words he could think of at the moment. The detective prince was known for his eloquence and way with words, but in that moment, it was just plain Goro.

He finally pulled back, but Ren pulled him in even closer, both hands around his waist, bodies flush once more. And there they stayed, finally open with each other. But back in the relative silence of the cafe, with the radio playing faintly in the background, and the sun slipping slowly below the horizon once again.


End file.
